Benefits and Risks of the Technological Creep of LED Light Technologies Applied to the Purse Seine Fishery

Abstract

This study is a first attempt to investigate the catch efficiency of LED light technology compared to the traditional incandescent lamp that is used in the purse seine fishery (PS) in the Central Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea). Catches per unit effort were adopted to assess the performance of lighting systems, considering the electrical energy and the fuel consumption as effort units. Concerning the catch efficiency, the white LED, which emits the same light spectra as the incandescent lamp, increased the yield by over 2 times per consumption unit of energy and fuel. The yield efficiency increased up to approximately 6 and 9 times when adopting the pulsing white or blue LED, respectively. These increases were due to the energy savings resulting from the flashing of the white LED or by the greater water penetration of the blue LED. No significant difference in target species sizes was detected between the use of LEDs and the incandescent lamp. The results obtained from estimates of the hourly fuel consumption and CO2 emissions stress potential benefits in the reduction of the carbon footprint due to the use of LEDs within the PS fishery. Positive economic impacts were derived from the LED technology on the PS fishery, with the fuel cost-saving percentages all being higher than 60%. The LED technology clearly shows potential benefits at the economic level for the fishermen, and the possibility of mitigating indirect negative effects on the environment due to fuel combustion and greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, the application of new technology that improves the catch efficiency of fishing gears should be carefully considered. The lack of regulations controlling technological advancement could cause unwanted long-term effects.

Analysis of catch rates of LED lamps using on the falling-net fishing vessels in South China Sea

“…Replacing metal halide or incandescent lamps with LED lamps for fishing can save fuel and is better for the environment [ 31 ]. LED lights can improve the catchability of snow crab traps [ 32 ].…”

Application of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fishing lights to improve catch rates of small-scale trammel net fishery in the Yellow Sea, China

“…In this study, adding LEDs to trammel nets was shown to effectively increase the catch rates of seven commercial species and the economic benefits of this specific fishery. Over the past decades, artificial lights have been used as an effective tool to improve catch efficiency and selectivity of different fisheries worldwide (e.g., Bryhn et al, 2014;Nguyen et al, 2017;Nguyen et al, 2019;Cerbule et al, 2021;Ricci et al, 2022), while our study represents the first investigation on the effects of LEDs on catch rates in trammel net fisheries. The promising results suggested that light fishing techniques can serve as a The GLMM-modeled proportions of two roundfish species captured in each body length class between the test trammel nets (BT, GT, RT, and WT) and control trammel net.…”

“…The high exploitation rates of stocks would affect energy and material flow characteristics of ecosystems and damage ecosystem balance. Previous studies have demonstrated that the lack of regulations on fishing activities and the control of technological advancements could lead to the overexploitation of stocks and damage the service function of ecosystem (Mgana et al, 2019;Ricci et al, 2022). In coastal China, MOA has formulated and organized a series of management and conservation measures for rational exploitation of the commercial species.…”